Paralympic Glory - Canada 150

"For the 150^th year since Confederation, Canada Post expanded its storytelling role by issuing 10 stamps – in the shape of a maple leaf for the first time in their history."

Together we rise

The Canada 150 issue celebrates 10 of our country’s most transformative moments. These special stamps recreate the events that united us, moved us forward and made us proud to be Canadian. Casting our eyes back on the past 50 years since our centennial in 1967, Canada Post selected 10 truly iconic milestones and accomplishments from a wealth of social progress, innovation and other significant achievements that have positioned us as a vibrant and successful nation on the world stage.

There is no question that we Canadians have so much to celebrate for Canada 150. We are a model of tolerance and diversity to the world - a fact reflected in some of the 10 chosen topics. We showed ourselves to be a nation poised for progress during our 100th anniversary, and over the past five decades, we have proved ourselves as builders, creators and inventors, constantly meeting the challenge to be the very best. We have succeeded and achieved greatness in science, sports, leadership and much more. That excellence, that achievement, is an integral part of this stamp issue.

We want to share this Canada 150 celebration with you - not just through these 10 magnificent maple leaf-shaped stamps - but through the stories behind them, the unveilings where we came together with Canadians across this land - and together we rose, lumps in our collective throats, so proud of what we’ve accomplished and empowered to take on the challenges of the future.

The Paralympic Glory Stamp

"We mark two events on Canadian soil – the 1976 and 2010 Paralympics."

Canada has been at the forefront of the Paralympic movement for decades and our athletes have participated in every Summer and Winter Paralympic Games since 1968. That year, thanks to the efforts of Dr. Robert Jackson, a Toronto orthopedic surgeon, Canada sent 22 wheelchair athletes to compete at the Summer Paralympic Games in Tel Aviv, Israel. Since that time, Canada’s Paralympic athletes have exemplified courage and determination, and redefined the limits of physical and mental endurance.

Canadians have proudly hosted two Paralympic Games. In 1976, Dr. Jackson’s efforts led to Canada’s first Games in Toronto, known as the Torontolympiad, where athletes with an amputation or visual impairment competed for the first time. In 2010, the Paralympic Winter Games were held in Vancouver, where Canadian athletes collected 10 gold medals. Canada’s Paralympic athletes stand among the best in the world.

At the Torontolympiad, Arnold Boldt set world records in the high jump and long jump, and swimmer Tim McIsaac launched a career that would see him become Canada’s most successful Paralympian, with 28 medals. Wheelchair racer Chantal Petitclerc, now a senator, won 14 gold, five silver and two bronze medals between 1992 and 2008, when she was named Canada’s athlete of the year. At the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Para alpine skier Lauren Woolstencroft – featured on the stamp – became the first Canadian Paralympian to win five gold medals at a single Winter Games. Para Nordic skier Brian McKeever, who made history when he was named to the Olympic and Paralympic teams in 2010, earned three gold medals at the Vancouver Paralympics and now has 13 medals to his name, including 10 gold.

This stamp was unveiled in Vancouver with the help of some of Canada’s most decorated Paralympic athletes.